Week 3: Home Improvement

Q1: What factors and forces contributed to scope creep in this case?
Scope creep is a situation wherein additional requirements can force to change in the
project scope once it has kicked off. Generally, this situation arrived due to improper
documentation wherein the project scope is not clearly defined. In this case, the family
changed their mind instead of sticking to only changing the Bathtub. Additionally, the issues
were not correctly analysed during the project planning phase. The primary force
contributing to scope creep is accepting the new requirements without evaluation. A project
manager should reject any last-minute changes which are not part of the project scope.

Q2: Is this an example of good or bad scope creep? Explain.

It’s terrible scope creep; however, it is good from Nelson's perspective as he is the person
who benefited the most. He was thinking about the hefty profit in the long term when he
could sell his house once his daughters are graduated from college. Keeping in this scenario,
the scope creep is good for him. After all, he is getting the benefits for every penny he
invested in that project.

Q3: How could scope creep have been better managed by the Nelsons?
To avoid any scope creep issues, requirements should be clearly defined from the project's
beginning stage. All key stakeholders, including the subject matter experts, are the key to
success. In this case, not enough opinions were taken from subject matter experts, and
Nelsons agreed to the option suggested by one person. The person who took the
responsibility didn’t clear the project's scope transparently, and he didn’t do enough due
diligence for any additional requests from Nelson.

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